1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cellular-phone case having a retractable card holding structure and, more particularly, to a cellular-phone case having a retractable card holding structure, in which an outlet is provided in a case body, and a card holding means for holding a card is provided to move into and out of the outlet, thus being convenient to store the card, making it easy to put or take the card into or out from the case, and maintaining a good appearance after the has been stored in the case.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a mobile phone means all phones that may communicate with a general phone subscriber or a different mobile communication phone subscriber through a base station within a wireless zone while a user moves optionally within a mobile communication area like a car phone. Such a mobile phone is called by the name of a portable phone, a mobile phone, a cordless cellular phone, a cordless portable phone, a pocket phone, etc.
Such a mobile phone is a phone communication terminal that can be easily used while a user carries. Recently, modern people possess the mobile phone as an essential item. The cellular phone is equipped with many additional functions, including digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), a navigation system, a camera, and a multi media player for playing an MPEG audio layer-3 and a digital moving picture, and performs more functions as a digital device using an application program called application (APP).
In recent years, additional functions are being added to smart phones coming to market, for example the function of surfing a wireless internet through a so-called 4-generation (4G) data communication network and wireless fidelity (WiFi). The design and shape of the smart phone has become better, and the overall size of the smart phone becomes smaller to allow it to be put into a pocket of clothes with minimum weight, so that the weight of the smart phone is gradually reduced. Most of smart phones that are available in Korea today are a bar type in which a front having a screen is formed as a touch screen. The touch screen on the front is made of tempered glass.
The tempered glass is advantageous in that it is resistant to scratch or impacts acting on the front. However, the tempered glass is very vulnerable to impacts acting on the side. Thereby, when a smart phone having a display panel made of the tempered glass falls to the ground because of carelessness during its use, a front panel protecting the display panel or the display panel itself is broken due to impacts against the ground.
Hence, a user is more susceptible to scratching, cracking, or damaging a cellular phone that is relatively expensive and is good in appearance. Moreover, the cellular phone has a growing tendency to be utilized as an accessory that suits a user's taste, by using the appearance of the cellular phone. In order to satisfy a user's demand, cellular-phone cases of various kinds and materials are being developed and coming to market to prevent the damage to the cellular phone and to provide a good appearance.
A mobile phone case is typically classified into a pouch type, a wallet type and a housing/case type. The pouch type is intended to hold and store the mobile phone in a holding space made of leather or cloth. The wallet type is configured to form a space holding a mobile phone therein by cutting leather and to open and close a cover. The housing/case type is made of a synthetic resin material such as plastic or silicone, thus allowing the mobile phone to be fitted into and held in a holding space defined therein.
However, the pouch type is problematic in that the entire cellular phone is completely put into the holding space defined in the pouch, so that the cellular phone should be taken out from the pouch when a user desires to use the cellular phone, thus causing inconvenience. The wallet type is problematic in that the cover of the wallet should be opened or spread to use the cellular phone, thus causing inconvenience when a user desires to make a phone call. Meanwhile, the housing/case type is advantageous in that it is easy to confirm contents displayed on the touch screen disposed on the front of the bar type cellular phone, and in addition, it is easy to use a touch key on the touch screen. However, the housing/case type is problematic in that the material of the housing/case is mainly synthetic resin such as plastic, so that it has an unpleasant texture or feel.
Further, modern people generally carry the cellular phone as well as at least one or more cards, for example, a transportation card for paying a public transport fare, a credit card used to buy goods on credit, and a discount card for getting a discount when purchasing goods. Even though these cards are used in everyday life as frequently as the cellular phone, it is common to store the cards in a separate wallet.
Recently, a cellular-phone case having a card holding structure is being developed to simultaneously carry both the cellular phone and the card, thus making it convenient to use the cellular phone and the card.